California Mine

Past Producer in Storey county in Nevada, United States with commodities Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Iron
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Alteration
  9. Mineral occurrence model information
  10. Host and associated rocks
  11. Nearby scientific data
  12. Geologic structures
  13. Ore body information
  14. Controls for ore emplacement
  15. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  16. Mining district
  17. Land status
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10043909
MRDS ID M231212
Record type Site
Current site name California Mine
Alternate or previous names Consolidated Virginia Claim Block

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -119.64656, 39.31268 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Storey(county)

Nevada(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Virginia City(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Carson City(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Reno(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Middle Carson(hydrologic unit)

Carson(hydrologic accounting unit)

Central Lahontan(hydrologic subregion)

Great Basin(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Storey

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 017N 021E 29 Nevada

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Gold Primary
Copper Secondary
Lead Secondary
Zinc Critical Tertiary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Propylitization, Oxidation, Pyritization

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 150
USGS model code 25c
Deposit model name Epithermal vein, Comstock
Mark3 model number 16

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Rock unit name Alta Andesite
    Rock description Alta Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Miocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -119.64656, 39.31268

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Regional Dip To West Or Northwest
Type of structure Local
Structure description Faults

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Length 335.28M
    Depth to top 365.76M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Fault

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1859
Year of first production 1876

Mining district

District name Comstock Lode

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on development

  • THIS MINE MERGED WITH THE CON-VIRGINIA IN EARLY 1900'S

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    STODDARD, CARL AND CARPENTER, J.A., MINERAL RESOURCES OF STOREY AND LYON COUNTIES NEVADA: NBMG BULL. 70.

  • Deposit

    BONHAN, H.F., 1969, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF WASHOE AND STOREY COUNTIES, NEVADA. NBMG BULL. 70.

  • Deposit

    W.P.A. STATE WRITER'S PROJECT, 1940-41; INDIVIDUAL HISTORIES OF THE MINES OF THE COMSTOCK NEV. BUREAU OF MINES & GEOL OPEN FILE REPORT.

  • Production

    BONHAM, H.F., 1969.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VEIN; THE "BIH BONANZA"
Deposit THIS MINE MERGED WITH THE CONSOLIDATED VIRGINA IN THE EARLY 1900'S ITS SURFICIAL DEPOSITS WERE INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO THOSE FOUND IN DEEPER WORKINGS AND TERMED THE "BIG BONANZA". THIS LODE WAS DISCOVERED AT THE 1200-FT LEVEL ON THE CONSOLIDATED VIRGINIA CLAIM. THE VEIN TRENDED NE FOR 600 FT, EXPLORED AT THE CONSOLIDATED VIRGINIA CLAIM.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-1980 Flynn, Patricia Dodd Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references

Authoritative Nevada resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.